Heavy Favorites in Minnesota Oaks and Derby Saturday

Gallardo rides both Derby favorite Street Warrior and Oaks favorite Xtreme Diva who stretch out in distance.

Saturday’s Minnesota Derby and Minnesota Oaks, each offering a $75,000 purse and contested at 1 mile and 70 yards, will have odds-on favorites trying a longer distance for the first time. Street Warrior is the 4 to 5 morning line favorite in the state-bred Derby and Xtreme Diva is the same odds in the Oaks. Canterbury Park’s Made in Minnesota Night program, with eight races, begins at 5:12 p.m. CT.

Xtreme Diva, winner of the Northern Lights Debutante last September, has won three times since including a $150,000 stakes at Oaklawn Park and her only local start this season, the Frances Genter Handicap. The 3-year-old filly, owned by Xtreme Racing Stables LLC and trained by leading trainer Mac Robertson, has won five times in eight races but the Minnesota Oaks, with Eduardo Gallardo aboard, will be her first race beyond three-quarters of a mile.

The same is true for Street Warrior who brings his two-for-two record to the Minnesota Derby. Both wins came at six furlongs and both were commanding victories. His maiden win was a gate-to-wire effort, drawing off by 14 1/4 lengths. The 3-year-old followed that with a nine-length romp in the Victor S. Myers Handicap. In each race Street Warrior, owned and bred by Suzanne Stables, earned an 84 Beyer Speed Figure, a widely accepted measure of a racehorse’s performance. None of the other five entered in the Derby have exceeded a 68 Beyer.

Gallardo also has the mount on Street Warrior who drew the outside post in the six-horse field.

“Perfect post position,” trainer Joel Berndt said. “I just want the jockey to get him around the first turn with no trouble. Once you get to the three-quarter pole it’s a brand-new race. Stamina-wise there is no doubt he can get the distance.”

Berndt also entered Victorious Vanda, a maiden winner at a mile, and Frosty View, winner of last season’s Northern Lights Futurity, in the Minnesota Derby. Robertson entered Superstar Swank. Trainer Tim Padilla entered General Battle Axe and Bill Geditz entered maiden High Ransom.

Pete Mattson’s homebred Retired Kathy is second choice in the Minnesota Oaks. Her success has come on the turf where she has three wins, all around two turns. Chad Lindsay rides for trainer David Van Winkle. The others in the five-filly field are Northern Angel, a maiden winner on the grass; Call’em All who finished a distant second to Xtreme Diva in the Genter; and Rosalina, a recent maiden winner.

The Minnesota Oaks will be the third race on the program and the Minnesota Derby the fifth race.

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